Less than a Treason (21) (A Kate Shugak Investigation)

Kate Shugak is a great character, love all the details about indigenous culture

I am glad I ignored other reviews and bought this book. There is only minor mention of politics. Some reviews made it sound like every page was hard to read because of politics. Too quick of an ending but I did enjoy it.

Lots of action and fun

Shugak books are just delightful. This series can make you run through all your emotions! Great story line, great author. I recommend em!

Good book

I still haven't quite forgiven Dana Stabenow for letting Emaa pass away in one of the early books in this series and I was hoping that the events of the previous book wouldn't be true and that Mutt actually survived being shot. It was hard to read the story without trusty sidekick Mutt accompanying Kate and being her backup every step of the way, as though something essential to Kate's character was missing.

Kate's story starts with her having disappeared from hospital after being shot and no one knowing if she is alive or dead. She spends months in the wilderness building a new cabin on her little parcel of land but then one day a party of orienteers trek right through her wilderness. While this is nasty shock enough, one of the orienteers returns later with an injury and a tale about finding the remains of a body in the wilderness so a bit reluctantly Kate takes the orienteer and the bones and rejoins civilization.

The emotional side of the story is Kate coming back into the world and trying to reestablish broken, or at least severely dented, relationships with all the people who love her deeply. The detective side of the story is about a woman who hires Kate to find her missing husband but before Kate can start the case the woman herself is murdered. Why was she murdered and what is the connection between the Mob and Kate's missing cousin Martin. All the elements of the story come together in a very clever and satisfying way.

I particularly loved the way that Kate didn't just leap back into her life with no fallout - the emotional tolls in this story are real and human and Ms Stabenow writes them with tact, skill and a level of reality that shows she really understands human nature. And she holds information back from the reader in a way that shows she really understands how to keep us enthralled and guessing all the way to the conclusion.

Recommended.

Very good book as are all of Dana Stabenow's.

Perfect follow up after SHOCKING end to Bad Blood! More! More! More!

I've read all her books - and really am entertained by all of them.

Love the book.